Trump's nominee for justice raises questions about the Russian probe

Opposition Democrats fear that Donald Trump's choice to be Prosecutor General Bill Barr will protect the President from investigating special counsel and possible attempted deposition.

President Donald Trump's candidate to lead the Justice Department, Bill Barr, is facing difficult questions in the Senate next week about whether he intends to curb research into collusion by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in Russia.

After the conservative lawyer criticized Mueller last year, opposition Democrats fear Barr because the Attorney General will protect Trump from the investigation and possibly attempt rejection.

Mueller spent 20 months researching Russian interference in the 2016 election, and possible collusion between the Trump and Russia campaign, in a study that increasingly focused on Trump and his inner circle.

Mueller has filed charges for 33 people, most of them Russians, and insured convictions of three former Trump top officials.

Barr, an old Republican ally who had previously served as Attorney General from 1991-1993, will appear before the Senate Judicial Commission at confirmation hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Democrats want him to promise publicly to protect the investigation.

Barr's approval is likely, given the Republican majority in the committee and the full Senate.

Senators who have spoken to Barr in private meetings say that he has indicated that he is not involved with Mueller, but that he also supports Trump with his executive power to defend himself.

"I think the most important thing people want to know is: what is his opinion about the Mueller research?" said the Republican President Lindsey Graham of the Judicial Committee after meeting with Mueller on Wednesday.

"I can assure you, based on what I have heard, that he has a high opinion of Mr. Mueller."

– He repeated the claims of Trump –

Special Counsel Robert Mueller (L) has already received convictions from three former top assistants of Trump

Barr "has no reason for Mr. Mueller to stop his work and is determined to allow Mr. Mueller to finish it," he added.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat in committee, said Thursday that Barr had told her that he would not upset the probe, according to media reports. But The Washington Times quoted her as saying, "I'm not taking anything to the bank unless it's in the public sector and everyone can hear it, and it's known for it."

Trump nominated Barr in December, a month after the dismissal of Jeff Sessions, who annoyed the president by guarding himself for overseeing the Mueller probe, which Trump described as a "witch hunt & # 39; is labeled.

Barr has a reputation of strong executive powers, which can contribute to legal battles with high stakes on everything from immigration policy to war powers, or the president may be required to testify or release privileged documents in the Russia investigation.

He expressed his support in May 2017 when Trump was then fired-FBI director James Comey, who induced Mueller to accuse Trump of restricting justice.

He has also repeated Trump's own claims that Mueller's team is full of researchers who have ties with the Democratic Party.

Barr himself is a strong Republican supporter. In the past two decades, he and his wife have donated nearly $ 800,000 to Republican candidates and groups, according to The Washington Post.

– Memo criticizes Mueller research –

Last year, he filed an unsolicited legal criticism of the Mueller case with the Ministry of Justice and reportedly to the White House.

It argued that the presidential rights of Trump protect against any obstruction in the Comey fire.

The memo in particular has directed the opposition to the nomination of Barr.

Barr is "deadly confused … when it comes to the special counsel," said Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader of the Senate, and called on Trump to withdraw the nomination.

The main concern is what Barr will do with the report that Mueller is expected to prepare for his findings.

According to The Washington Post, the president's lawyers are already planning to use the executive privilege to stifle material that could be harmful to Trump or to support an attempted disapproval by Democrats.

Graham said that Barr indicated that he would "stray on the side of transparency".